


The calm after the storm

by Yandere_Shoujo



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Drabbles, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, KH3 spoilers, Melancholy, Moments, Mostly Discomfort, Platonic Relationships, Shipping goggles optional, post kh3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-21 08:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17639690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yandere_Shoujo/pseuds/Yandere_Shoujo
Summary: A series of moments after the final battle. (KH3 spoilers)





	1. Breath

Ventus emerged first, then Roxas. Sparkles of sea water splashed between them both as identical sets of spikes whipped to and fro.

“Roxas wins!”

Laughter resounded from the group of girls sitting together on the stretch of a wood pier- crafting bracelets of sea shells together. Xion had hers in her lap, monitoring the competition between the two boys. Now that the final battle was over, Roxas and Ventus were able to finally focus on just how different one was from the other. In this case, who could hold their breath the longest.

“Xion- how do you do that knot again?” Aqua asked.

Namine nodded beside her.

“Aww c’mon! It wasn’t even a tie?” Ven called from the water where he stood nearly chest deep. Both boys were stripped down to just their pants seeing as how neither owned the magic clothing that kept them permanently water proof.

“Hey just try again!” Terra called, breathing a bit heavily as he and Axel were mid race- heading to the full course as explained by Riku, extended given the fact that the racers could probably clear the original without actually breaking a sweat. As his form disappeared, Roxas playfully nudged his twin’s shoulder with a wet wrist.

“I can go another round. Besides, we may have been in Sora- but that doesn’t make us islanders.”

Ventus seemed to pout a bit- then grinned. “You’re on!”

“Go Roxas!” Hayner, Pence- and Olette cheered from their sand castle. A museum of small scale sculptures littered the beach. Many were blobs of what could be interpreted as animals.

Sora.

Among the crowd enjoying a day at the beach- Kairi was the only one not smiling. When addressed, she wiped the down turn of her lips and sideways glance from her eyes away to her best ability.

Where was Sora? Why couldn’t Sora be here? Why couldn’t I protect him?

In all their excitement, Kairi blending into the reds of the sunset made it easy to sit on the lone bent tree away from everyone.

Naturally- she’d been wrapped in the warmth of bodies of friends and company. Olette’s arm around her shoulder, Aqua’s affectionate head pats, Namine gently touching her arm; it was all very welcome. But why couldn’t Sora be there to hold her hand?

Why?

It hurt a lot more this time. Before, she’d been comatose. When he was taken away again, she had no memory. Now she remembered everything, was awake and could wield a Keyblade.

Still no Sora.

“Alright Roxas!”

Loud splashing as the pair of spikes emerged once more from the water.

“Come- on I was- sure I held it like- a minute more!” Ven took several heaving breaths in between words.

Roxas gulped for air as well and laughed.

“Guess all that time getting nearly drowned on missions paid off in the end!”

Kairi blinked from her trance at all the noise, watching the pair splash at each other. Touching her heart, she felt it beat fast against her finger tips.

Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the sea before her. It was all she could do to tell herself that Sora would be fine- he always was.


	2. Faith

“Hey Isa- if I fell, would you catch me?”

Isa looked to his friend, mouth halfway to the stick of sea salt ice cream. It was just Lea and himself for now. The group of teens Axel formerly  treated as nuisances had work- Roxas eager to join and Xion willing to learn.

Knowing the treat would melt on his new clothes, Isa took a bite.

“I suppose I would, you caught me when I did- after all. And... It’d be a shame for you to be a bigger red spot than you already are.”

Lea chuckled at the jest. Always finding ways to make a jab at him was Isa’s specialty.

“Why do you ask? Planning on taking leaps off the clock tower?”

Red hair swished as Lea shook his head and a bite of his ice cream.

“Just been… thinking _. And before you start!_ ”

Isa raised his hands in mock surrender when an accusatory cold snack was pointed his way- joke dying before it could surface to his lips. He laughed, waiting for his friend to continue.

“We beat the old man, everyone’s here. Well…” A lengthy pause. “Almost everyone is here.”

Lea went silent once more, staring at the never ending sunset.

“Do you plan on going after him?”

Sora. The boy who embodied self-sacrifice. Lea hadn’t expected to come back when he ended his own Nobody life, as Axel. But he knew Sora would give his everything time and time again whenever he could with or without knowing the consequences.

“I’d like to.”

Isa finished his ice cream, eying the blank stick with a tingle of disappointment.

“You make it sound as though we won’t be together.”

Lea looked over in surprise, meeting Isa’s eyes. The other grinned.

“I’m here now- and I’ll keep you from being a bigger red splotch than you are now.”

Any witty comeback didn’t make it to Lea’s lips as he breathed out a small laugh, nudging the man with a gentle shove.


	3. Taste

“Salty… but sweet?”

Demyx raised a brow at the description of the frozen treat Zexion- no Ienzo had in his mouth. He was vaguely aware of it but never tried. Nor did he exactly want to after hearing that.

“Sounds like something that’d give me a stomach ache. No thanks.” He waved his hand in dismissal, opting to look out to the rows and rows of containers on adjacent walls displayed from the glass panel. The computer room was still an impressive sight. Every now and again he found himself seeing something new.

“I assure you the only stomach aches you’d get are from eating three in a row.” Ienzo responded. A roll of wheels on metal, and he’d moved from one end of the terminal to another while seated in a stool to fetch a clip board off a wall. His management of ice cream, a pencil, and typing was a skill long mastered.

When Demyx didn’t answer, he looked up to see his skeptical raise of an eyebrow and the fold of his arms while standing on the opposite side of the room.

“Speaking from experience.” Ienzo added.

Rolling his eyes, Demyx shrugged and turned to the other in the room. Aeleus was still as imposing and silent as ever while watching Ienzo from the door, but he looked different. Calmer somehow. When Demyx observed his former co-workers, for lack of a better term, there was something different in all of them.

There was a kindness in Ienzo’s single visible eye when at a point, Demyx could only recall condescension. Demyx figured he probably wouldn’t change much. After all, he could feel. He always knew he could- and he was right all along. But being human; an actual human lacked some benefits, like being able to go where he pleased and summon his precious sitar.

The big boss of the whole place- Ansem, urged him to return to his former self. It could be done humanely. No violent death via a harsh beating with keys. Demyx chose to abstain- at least for a while longer.

“Does it taste better now?”

Ienzo stopped writing to look up at the other’s question, his ice cream over halfway gone now.

“Flavors. I mean- man I love curry but- I-uh, wonder sometimes.” Demyx cleared his throat and shrugged, doing his best to not look as suddenly uncomfortable as he felt. True he wasn’t technically human anymore, but he was human enough.

Still, not entirely.

“I… suppose it’s a little more- hm.” Ienzo’s work was placed in his lap as he pondered his answer. “It is different yes. As a Nobody all we really needed was some rest. No pangs of hunger or thirst. You couldn’t get full either. The taste is there- but not the experience. Bitterness tastes worse because your stomach can feel it, and something sweet really activates your taste buds when your whole body processes what to do with it.”

Satisfied with his answer, Ienzo nodded. Demyx slid his tongue against his teeth. So there was a difference.

“Guess I should try one after all. Seems all the rage nowadays. Later Science Buddy!” With a quiet “Tra-la-la” sung under his breath, Demyx opened and stepped into a portal- waving as he walked.

When he became a person again- whenever that would be, he would like it to have another. However, his hope was that he could share and feel the experience with his newfound friend.


End file.
